Off The Tracks And On Fire
by Nymphadora-CullenBAU
Summary: It's just another day of commuting to work... until the train crashes. What happened, and who did it? ...The answer may shock you. My second submission to TheVampireAct's season 5 finale contest. Will be continued. COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1: Accident

_**This is my second entry to TheVampireAct's ending to season 5 contest. It's kinda short, but I found it interesting. I actually got the idea for this story from something that Matthew Gray Gubler posted on his Twitter page. It made me think for a moment…**_

**_Also, I know that the case described in this story isn't the actual case in the season finale_**

_**Again, nothing is mine, and I don't get paid for this. I'm a lowely college student who has finals this week, and is procrastinating on doing them (especially her Theology paper, which is 10 pages long). I think I'm gonna need a year's supply of Aderol, and the ability to clone myself. Or maybe I'll call Reid….**_

….

The DC Metro line wound its way across town, picking up and dropping off passengers like any other normal day. However, no one spared a glance for the world-weary young man standing by the window, drinking a large cup of coffee.

SSA Dr. Spencer Reid took another swig of his coffee, swallowed and sighed. Only yesterday evening, the team had finished a case involving an UnSub who had killed entire families in the dark, except for one person; it gave Spencer a good reason to be afraid of the dark. But the events of the case before this last case haunted him more: A killer who friended his victims online, killed them, and then posted the kills as videos online; it had reminded him too much of Georgia and Tobias Hankel, and had made the young profiler play with the idea of calling in sick that day, just so he could sleep, and try to get the details of both this last case, and Georgia, out of his head.

But he knew that that was a near-impossible feat, especially with his mind; sometimes, having an eidetic memory was something Reid wished he'd never been gifted with. Sometimes, he wished for the ease of forgetting something easily. He had found it easy to forget when he had taken the Dilaudid, but he didn't EVER want to go back down that road. Reid wanted a way to forget, without drugs, without harm. Just something natural.

He took another sip of coffee, and stared out the window.

The train picked up speed, roaring through the underground tunnel system as it made its way toward its final destination. Suddenly, it flew off the tracks at a sudden sharp turn, falling on its side. Every person inside the train went flying; however, Reid had somehow managed to hold on to his coffee, which had been a feat in and of itself. However, it still hadn't stopped some of the hot beverage from falling from his cup and spilling on the window that the genius was lying on. The voices of the other passengers echoed around the train in a panic.

"What's happening?"

"My suit!"

"I can't feel my legs!"

"My arm!"

"Mark, open your eyes!"

Suddenly, Reid felt a presence next to him, a hand brushing up against his arm. A second later, everything began to become… fuzzy, distant. Spencer couldn't fight. He closed his eyes….

And the world went black.

….

The young man dragged the limp figure from the train and onto the nearby platform that said train had been only a few feet from. He was lucky; no one had been at this stop this morning at the moment, and by the time someone figured it all out, they'd be powerless to stop him.

Nathan Harris sighed as he set down Dr. Reid's prone figure by the entrance to the station for a moment, and watched the train burn before continuing on his way.

It was about to begin….

….

_**A/N: I don't think I'm the only person who wants Nathan to come back again. I mean, he'd be 18 by now, so he could've easily signed himself out of the hospital. Plus, it's an interesting idea to have him in another episode, have Reid profile him, and possibly arrest him.**_

_**And get this: When I typed "Dilaudid," I got two different spelling suggestions: "Deluded", and "Diluted." :D **_

_**Thanks for reading; now please, Please, PLEASE review! **_

_***~N_CBAU~***_


	2. Chapter 2: Surprise Encounter

_**Yes, I'm continuing this one! I got so many people asking me to, so I decided to write another chapter and… que sera sera. I hope you're all still with me! Also, if anyone is interested in it, I'm willing to continue my other submission to The-Vampire-Act's contest. Just... Let me know at the bottom, with a review. I'll even open the Anonymous Reviews thingy...**_

_**I own nothing; it's all CBS**_

….

"Has anyone seen Reid?" Morgan asked as he entered the round table room, a steaming cup of coffee held in his hands.

"I know," Prentiss said, glancing up with slight concern at Morgan's cup. "It isn't like him to be late." _I hope nothing serious has happened to him_, she thought.

"Maybe he got up late, or missed his train, or… something." JJ trailed off, worrying just as much as her co-workers about their young genius.

Meanwhile, out in the bullpen, Hotch and Rossi were watching the news on one of the television screens scattered throughout the bullpen, which were airing a recent story just breaking now. A young redheaded reporter in a powder-blue business suit was delivering the report.

…**This just in, one of the DC Metro train lines, line 1750 running from Washington DC to Quantico, VA appears to have gone off the tracks, and is now on fire under the tunnels. It is unclear at this moment as to how that happened, but there are at least 20 confirmed injured, and some passengers have been taken to a McLean, VA hospital. Witnesses on the train also reported seeing a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties dragging another unconscious young man from the train wreck. While witnessess can confirm that the man being dragged is in fact a passenger, it is still unclear if the other man, as seen in this clip we're about to show you, caused the train to crash….**

What followed was a blurry shot of a young man dragging a limp figure onto a subway platform before setting the figure down, surveying the site in front of him for a moment before picking up the unconscious figure at his feet one more and dragging it out of the station.

At that moment, JJ came out of the round table room "Hotch, Rossi, have either of you heard from Reid?" she started. "He usually isn't this late to briefings, and we're starting to… Isn't that Reid's train?"

"What?" Prentiss asked as she and Morgan rushed from the round table room.

"T-that's Reid's train," JJ said, pointing at the TV screen. "I-I know him. Spence always takes the 1750 from DC to Quantico. He told me so."

"When was that?" Morgan asked, finally getting his voice back. JJ noticed that he had what appeared to be a coffee stain down his shirt front.

"When we went to the Redskins game that time," JJ replied. "He also mentioned it to me after he got shot and I offered him a ride to work one day; he said that he didn't want to burden me and wouldn't mind taking the 1750 even with his knee shot."

"We need to get Garcia to look at that video," Hotch said darkly. "JJ, I want you to call your contact with DC Metro Police, try and set up a press release, and see if we can get jurisdiction; tell him one of our agents was on that train. Morgan, I need you to find Kevin Lynch, tell him that he's going to help Garcia in analyzing the video from the subway. I need as many people as I can find helping us with this. Prentiss, Rossi and I will go to the scene, and the hospitals to see if we can find Reid.

….

JJ and Morgan ran into Garcia's office, Kevin trailing behind them. JJ was out of breath. Garcia turned her chair to face them, her usually cheerful face turning to concern at their presence.

"What's happened, my doves?"

"The 1750 from DC to Quantico went off the tracks about fifteen minutes ago," JJ began in earnest.

"Wait," Garcia said. "Isn't that- that's Reid's train, isn't it?"

"Yes, Babygirl," Morgan confirmed, a dark look on his handsome face. "JJ's contact with DC Metro just sent us the video from the crash. Kevin has it, and we want you two to find Reid in it. I want to know what he was wearing, what he was doing, and what happened to him in the moments leading up to and following the crash."

"Okay," Garcia muttered, swinging her chair around to the nearest monitor. "Okay, I can do this. Kevin, lovely? Can you get me the video?"

Kevin hurried past Morgan to Garcia's computer before producing a disk from his satchel and inserting it into the drive.

It's the camera from the platform the train was approaching when… when it happened," JJ whispered.

"We'll find him," Kevin vowed with conviction. "Penny's the best; she'll track him down. I can also get a friend of mine from the White Collar division, Niko Zissou to help."

"I believe you, and have faith in that conviction," Morgan said, clapping Garcia and Kevin on the shoulder before leaving.

Garcia turned to Kevin. "What are we waiting for? Now get your friend, and let's bring my genius home."

….

Reid groggily opened his eyes, feeling as though he'd… well, been thrown from a train.

_What happened… I was going to work… And the train… The TRAIN!_

He bolted up, and was hit with an enormous amount of pain coming from the right side of his body. He also noticed that he was in no way restrained to the bed, but it appeared that his shirt was missing, and his chest and torso were wrapped in bandages.

"Oww…"

"Dr. Reid?"

Reid glanced around at the sound of the familiar voice. He knew that voice… Had heard it almost four years ago, but still recalled it quite well.

"Nathan? Nathan Harris?"

Nathan seemed to have grown a bit since Reid had last seen him. He was now about 5'8 or 5'10. His hair was shorter and curled a bit; though it was not as wildly curly as it had been the first time Reid had seen him. And his clothes had changed. He was wearing a purple short-sleeved Oxford, a pair of jeans and Converse. He was carrying a glass of water in his left hand.

"What-what happened?" Reid began. "What's going on?" He gingerly placed a hand on his side.

"Your train," Nathan stated simply. "It crashed. And I had to save you. Try not to move so much; I think you broke a rib or something."

Reid nodded; he remembered that. He glanced around the room; it appeared to be the bedroom of a dingy apartment somewhere. Cheap wooden furniture made up the furnishings, and the floor was littered with clothing and books The sounds of a daytime talk show host interviewing a movie actor came dimly from a television in the living room, and Reid could smell the scent of… was that rice cooking?

"Where are we?"

"This is my apartment," Nathan replied, setting the glass on the bedside table. "I- I moved in after I turned 19. The doctors let me leave. I'm an outpatient."

"Is that…?"

"Yeah… My neighbors moved here from New York about a month ago. You get used to it, and they're really nice. I sometimes get to have dinner with them. It's really good."

He offered the glass to Reid, who took it, taking a sip before setting it down again on the table.

"Nathan…" Reid began. "Umm… About- about the train…"

"He did it," Nathan said in a rush. "This guy who was at the hospital with me. He was released when I was released. I don't know why he's doing this; he always seemed so nice before."

"What?"

"The guy who blew up the train," Nathan whispered. "It wasn't me, I swear, Dr. Reid. It was him. I told him all about you, and how nice you were, and how you believed me about the guy killing the whor- I mean, the women before, and he seemed really angry about that. He said he was going to get you."

"Who is he, Nathan?" Reid asked.

Nathan shook his head. "I don't know his name."

….

_A/N: Yeah… Another cliffhanger…._

_Niko Zissou… I was watching 'The Life Aquatic' this morning, and created a character using MGG's name from the movie, and of course, Zissou. Matthew was so cute in that movie…_

_Please leave a review; I'd love it if you do._

_*~N_CBAU~*_


	3. Chapter 3: Harris and Thorne

_**One again, I own nothing. It was just an idea I had….**_

….

The Bullpen was buzzing with the usual activity, save for three figures standing in the round table room, clearly stressed and agitated.

Morgan was glowering, fists clenching and unclenching as he paced. It was apparent in his body language that he wanted to hit something, but was clearly unable to do so. Emily Prentiss was sitting in one of the high backed black leather chairs in the room, her feet tapping against the carpet in a tense way, the fingers of one hand picking incessantly at the fingernails of the other. On the other side of the room, JJ was on the phone, apparently talking to her boyfriend Will in hushed, worried tones.

Down the hall, David Rossi and Aaron Hotchner were going over case files, looking for someone, _anyone,_ who may have had a grudge against the team, someone who had recently been released from prison, or a family member who had sworn revenge. But it appeared that their ideas were about to run dry….

….

Niko Zissou looked as though he could have easily been Reid's cousin. He was tall and thin, but his hair was an unruly mass of tight, almost dreadlock-like curls. He was thinner than Reid, and paler in complexion. And he wore a t-shirt, something that Reid had probably never worn, except when he was in his first few months in the BAU.

His eyes scanned the video feed from the tunnel, watching in slow motion as the train approached the turn into the platform before dramatically falling on its side, the engine bursting into flames. Next to him, Penelope Garcia and Kevin Lynch studied video from cameras inside the train and from outside the station, Garcia moving her fingers as quickly as possible to find an angle she could work with.

"Umm," Niko said suddenly, glancing at his screen; he'd seen a figure appear on his feed, walking through the debris made by the train. "E-excuse me, Miss Garcia, but I think I see someone on the feed; he's walking toward someone lying on the ground."

"Where?" Garcia was already straightened up in front of her computer, fingers poised for action.

"Umm… it looks like he was sitting before the train crashed… Third row…." Niko's fingers moved a bit on the keyboard, and zoomed in on the figure. "I think… Is that a cup of coffee in his hands?"

"Third row… cup of coffee…" Garcia was already all over it, fingers dancing over the keys in a mad foxtrot. "…Oh, there you are, my beautiful boy genius!" she cooed, zooming in on the figure as he took a drink of coffee. "Now… Let's see what happened…OH!" She gasped as the train's camera showed the train falling on its side, and Reid rolling from his seat and onto the window.

"What about the person approaching the train after the accident?" Kevin asked.

"Gimmie a sec, Kev," Niko answered, typing a code to lighten the figure on the camera. "Umm… He's about 5'10, wearing an unzippered zip-up, a polo, jeans, and high-top Converse. He has a needle, which he…" Niko paused as he watched the video unfold, Garcia coming up behind him.

"Injects into… I am SO going to nail this bastard," Garcia hissed. "No one does that. No one!" Kevin backed away, and made a note to never get on Garcia's bad side.

"He picks up Dr. Reid, and drags him to the platform, pauses, exits the platform, goes up the stairs…" Kevin said, watching as the events he just described unfold in front of the camera images before him.

"Look up, you skeevy jerkface," Garcia whined. "Look up at the camera and smile for the birdie named Penelope I'm-Gonna-Gut-You-Gutless Garcia…"

"I have an image!" Niko crowed, zooming in on the UnSub as he made his way off the train into the shadows by the platform. "He looked at the camera on the ceiling of the train; I got him!" He turned to Garcia, who was staring at the screen in part horror, part surprise. "Want me to run it, see if we get a hit?"

"No need," Penelope said. "I-I know who that is…"

"You sure?" Kevin asked. Garcia nodded.

"I'd remember him anywhere. That's Nathan Harris."

….

"Garcia's got a name!" Hotch stated as he and Rossi came into the round table room, the three tech analysts following behind him. "Nathan Harris." His face showed no emotion.

The room was in an immediate uproar at this news. JJ said, "let me call you back," and closed her phone. Prentiss stopped tapping her feet and looked up at her boss, her mouth open in surprise. Morgan cursed and punched the wall in fury. Only Rossi was confused.

"Who's Nathan Harris?"

"A few years ago we had a case where prostitutes were being killed and their hair was being chopped off. Nathan approached Reid in the subway, asking about the case. We profiled Nathan and the UnSub, and arrested the UnSub. Nathan was supposed to be sent to a hospital, but almost committed suicide." Morgan began.

"We profiled Nathan as homicidal with sexual sadist tendencies, and suggested he be hospitalized." Hotch continued. "But after his near-suicide, he was put in a clinic for teens until he turned 17, when he was moved to the hospital his mother had chosen for him."

"The records show that Nathan signed out, and opted to become an outpatient on his nineteenth birthday," Garcia continued as Niko laid out the files in question. "He now lives in Downtown DC, near Capital Hill, and attends a community college in the area."

"In the neighborhood where the original murders took place." Hotch finished. "Were you able to find anything else?"

"So glad you asked, Boss Man," Garcia crowed. "There was a Richard Thorne who was checked out the same day as Nathan Harris; they were roommates during Nathan's last three months as an inpatient, and they both live in the same apartment in DC. And I even have Thorne's most recent eval at your disclosure." Garcia produced a few pieces of paper for the team, handing them to each profiler, and to her fellow tech-savvy partners.

"'Patient shows increased aggression, may have increased possibility to lash out in near future.'" Prentiss recited, shaking her head. "It looks like something happened to Thorne recently to make him angry."

"'Thorne currently living with fellow patient and apparent friend Nathan Harris,'" Morgan read off. "'Harris has tendency to speak of the Federal Agents who helped him with respect, especially a Dr. Spencer Reid. Thorne appears to not be comfortable with subject of Agent Reid.'"

"Not comfortable, my foot!" Rossi cried. "Listen to this: 'Harris admitted to coming home one evening to find a thesis paper, notes and sources ripped to shreds and scattered across the apartment.' One of the sources was a paper written by Reid."

"I think we may have a suspect," Hotch stepped up, taking control. "Garcia, I want you, Kevin and Niko to look into Thorne's background, see if he has _any _connections to cases we've worked since Reid joined the team. Prentiss, JJ, I want you to find Thorne's doctors and retrieve their files on him. Get a warrant if necessary. JJ, when you and Prentiss get back, I want you to set up a press conference as soon as possible. Morgan, you're coming with me and Rossi to check out Thorne's apartment; I don't think Nathan knows about Thorne's feelings toward Reid, so there's a chance that Reid and Nathan are there. Time is of the essence."

….

_A/N: This should be interesting…._

_I'll give you all a nice big helping of Reid and Nathan next chapter; betcha can't wait for that!_

_*~N_CBAU~*_


	4. Chapter 4: GunShot

_**I know I haven't been as faithful to updating my stories as usual… I'm sorry. This summer is just busier than I thought.**_

_**I own nothing; just an idea that came to mind…**_

….

"So what happened," Reid asked finally, setting down his third glass of water. "You know, after you went to the hospital that night?"

A couple hours had passed since Reid had awakened in Nathan's apartment, and the two of them had exhausted all other channels of conversations, the events of Reid's recent cases, Nathan's studies… the whole train explosion, and the reason behind Nathan's roommate's apparent anger toward Reid.

Nathan leaned back; they had since moved from Nathan's bedroom into the living room of the apartment. It was painted a neutral off-white color, and the furniture was clearly from a thrift-store or Goodwill, not any one piece from the same set, but all of them matching the apartment itself. Reid was sprawled out on the white faux leather couch, supported by a bunch of pillows Nathan had found in the apartment. He was still shirtless, but with a blanket draped over him. Nathan was in an old tan easy chair nearby.

"They bandaged me up and sent me to recovery," Nathan replied. "After that, when I left the hospital, they made me see another doctor, like the school shrink, but he was more professional. I'd wanted to talk to you, though."

"Really?" Reid asked surprised.

Nathan nodded. "I didn't say anything to the guy for a few months. Usually he'd ask me a few questions about how I was, and I'd answer with just one or two words. Finally, about six months after we met, I told him everything. It felt… good, to get it off my chest."

"What about the hospital your mother set you up for after we-"

"I went there after I turned sixteen. According to the doctor who oversaw my case, Doctor Jenkins, I made great strides after my attempted suicide and my visit with Doctor Brant, the shrink I saw after I got out of the hospital."

At this point, Nathan paused, staring at Reid for a moment before his eyes broke away to gaze instead at his own interlocked fingers. "When I turned nineteen, I was given the choice to become an outpatient. Naturally, I took it, and that was where I met Rich Thorne."

"Richard Thorne, your roommate at the hospital, and here?" Reid asked; he had gotten the name from Nathan after an intense round of questioning when they first moved to the living room, and Reid had spotted a picture of Nathan's roommate with a young woman. Nathan nodded.

"I told him about you and your team." Nathan admitted. "I thought he seemed a little cold toward the idea of you guys, but I didn't think he's do something like that… Blow up a train to get rid of you."

"Has he always been like that?" Reid asked. He tried to push himself up, but a searing pain from his ribs stopped him from doing just that.

"He ripped apart some papers you wrote when I was working on a project," Nathan admitted. "And when I went in for my last session, I heard my caseworker talking to his caseworker. They wanted to pull Thorne from the outpatient program and put him back in the hospital. They said he was showing homicidal tendencies, and that he reacted violently toward the mention of our name, and the mention of your team."

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Then, Reid began to reach for the phone on the table.

"I need to call Quantico," he explained. "My team's probably looking for me, and I need to let them know where I am and that I'm alright."

"I'll call them," Nathan said quickly, leaping from the chair to grab the phone and turn it on. "What's the number?"

"It's-"

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"Open up, Nate," a gruff voice roared. "I'm not going back; they'll have to drag me out of here if they think they can re-commit me to that place!"

Nathan paled in fear, dropping the phone on the floor.

"It's him, isn't it?" Reid asked. "It's Thorne."

Nathan nodded. "He's here."

….

Niko ran from Garcia's office and into the round table room, Kevin trailing behind him. Garcia herself flew in a moment later, out of breath.

"I pulled up survelliance from the hospital," Niko began without prompting. "Thorne was there. Appaently, he went in for a session, and when his caseworker told him that they were re-admitting him as an inpatient, he threw a fit. Tossed papers and books, scared patients, visitors and doctors… This guy is nuts, Agent Prentiss!"

"Where is he now?"

"He's outside the apartment he shares with Nathan Harris."

….

"Nathan and Thorne share an apartment on the third floor," Rossi reported from the front desk.

Upstairs, Morgan and Hotch drew their weapons, running up the stairs to the third floor corridor.

"Last door on the right," Rossi directed. "I'll join you in a second."

"See you in a bit, Dave," Hotch replied into his mic as he crept down the hall. He could hear Thorne's voice outside the door.

"Open up, Nate! I'm not going back; they'll have to drag me out of here if they think they can re-commit me to that place!"

A second later, Rossi joined them from behind.

"_On three,"_ Morgan mouthed, pointing at Thorne. Hotch nodded.

_One_

They crept toward Thorne and the door, single file line down the hall.

_Two_

They got into position. Hotch behind Thorne, Rossi moving back down the hall, and Morgan staying right where he was. Waiting.

_Three_

"Richard Thorne," Hotch roared. "FBI. Turn around and put your hands in the air."

As Hotch spoke, four things happened in quick succession.

First, the apartment door opened, revealing Nathan Harris standing in the doorway with a gun. Reid's gun. The owner of said gun watched in horror from the couch.

Second, Thorne turned around to face Hotch.

Third, Morgan charged toward Thorne, gun drawn and raised, his finger on the trigger.

And finally, a gunshot echoed through the apartment complex.

….

_A/N: I'm bad. I'm sorry._

_Review please, and check out some of my other stories._

_Also, I have a new submission for a new contest that The-Vampire-Act put on involving our ladies; please vote for 'Dear Mick' in the Prentiss section of the contest (the poll is on The-Vampire-Act's profile page)._

_*~N_CBAU~*_


	5. Chapter 5: A Stage

_**Here's the final chapter!**_

_**Sorry I haven't been as good at updating as I should be; I moved into my college dorm this past Sunday (Sept 5), classes started Wednesday (Sept 8), and now I finally get the chance to write and post the final chapter that's been nagging me for a month now. Not to mention I'm neglecting my Mythology, Philosophy and English Lit homework (Which I'm convinced I may have already taken in high school; I'll have to double check). But I like rebelling!**_

_**I don't own Criminal Minds! However, I am eagerly looking forward to the premiere of Season 6. What secrets will be revealed this season? …You know, that might make a good story….**_

….

Thorne crumpled to the ground, but it wasn't from Morgan; his bullet had gone wide in order to miss Nathan as he had stepped out of the apartment.

Nathan slowly lowered the still smoking gun. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "He… he was coming in… He was going to…"

"Nathan," Morgan calmly intoned. "It's okay; I understand. Just lower the weapon. Put it on the floor.

Nathan didn't need to be told twice; he set the gun on the ground and stepped away from the apartment door, his hands raised in the air.

Suddenly, Thorne twitched on the ground, his hand grabbing for the gun.

"HEY!" Morgan yelled as Thorne kicked out; Nathan fell to the ground, stunned as his head the wall of the narrow corridor. Thorne didn't check on his roommate; instead, he charged into the apartment, gun out.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Morgan hollered, racing in after the man. But Thorne didn't get that far before he fell to the ground again, tripping on his shoelace. There was a sickening crack as Thorne's head hit the floor. A second later, Morgan tripped over the man's prone body, landing on top. This time, Morgan checked the man's neck for a pulse. Nothing.

"Bastard broke his neck," Morgan growled, standing up on shaky legs before turning to his friend and partner, who was still lying on the couch. "You okay, Reid?" he asked.

"I've been better," Reid admitted, shifting slightly and wincing at the movement. "Nathan did well, but I think I may need a hospital." Morgan leaned over to inspect the bandages, feeling along the younger man's side as he did. "Ouch," Reid hissed.

"I agree with you, Pretty Boy," Morgan replied before calling into his mike. "I got Reid. He's alright, but needs medical attention. Thorne's dead."

….

Hours later, in a hospital room, Reid sat in a small bed. His ribs had been looked over by a doctor; two were bruised, one was cracked, and only one was actually broken, but Nathan had somehow managed to set it without using an X-ray machine or any other tools. Morgan had admitted that he was quite surprised by Nathan's use of medical caretaking when he was very much untrained.

After Morgan had called in, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the team had arrived. The coroner had arrived before the ambulance, and had quickly taken Thorne's body to the morgue. Meanwhile Reid and Nathan had been ushered outside, where Nathan's mother, JJ, Garcia, Kevin Lynch and a young man who could've easily been Reid's twin (He was introduced to Reid as 'Niko Zissou, my extra pair of eyes,' by Garcia) before Nathan's mother had embraced both her son and Reid, and Reid himself had been loaded into the back of the ambulance.

Reid looked up at the sound of someone knocking on his door, jolting him from his reverie. It was Nathan and his mother, who was still crying slightly; he had spoken to her earlier, thanking him repeatedly.

Now, it appeared to be Nathan's turn.

Nathan paused by the side of Reid's bed, not really looking him in the eye.

"I just wanted to say thank you," Nathan began quietly. "Thank you for believing me that day, thank you for giving me the help I needed… And thank you, for saving my life."

"You don't need to thank me, Nathan," Reid urged. "You were the one who came to me, and you told me about the murders. You were the one who brought them to our attention. Not to mention you pulled me from a burning train, hid me from your murderous roommate, and saved my life. If anything, I should be thanking you."

Nathan smiled slightly. "You're welcome," he replied softly, folding his arms across his chest.

Reid smiled back, glancing up at Nathan's mother for a moment. "Are you leaving?" the profiler asked.

Nathan nodded. "My mother's sister has a farm out in Montana; we're going to go out there and start over. My doctors have cleared me for travel and are establishing contact with some other doctors in Montana, and I'll be starting therapy when I'm settled in over there. I'm going to finish my college semester online, too; I was going to graduate in a few weeks anyway."

Reid took Nathan's hand and shook it. "I hope you do well, Nathan," he said. "I'll never forget what you did for me,"

"And I won't forget what you did for me, Dr. Reid." Nathan replied. "Good-bye, Dr. Reid."

"Good-bye, Nathan," Reid replied, watching as Nathan and his mother left the room and walked down the hall to the elevator. Reid closed his eyes, falling asleep as the elevator door dinged shut, and Nathan Harris moved farther away, toward a new life.

….

**(A Month Later)**

Reid gingerly walked into the bullpen at the office, a cup of coffee in one hand, his messenger bag gripped tightly in another.

"Yeah, Pretty Boy's back," Morgan crowed as he walked by. "How are your ribs?"

"Tender," Reid replied, a slight grin on his face as he sat down. Prentiss snorted at Reid's comment, which for some reason flew over Morgan's head for a moment before he realized what the younger man had said.

"Did you just make a joke, kid?" Morgan asked, clearly impressed.

"I believe he did," a voice said, and a moment later, the owner of said voice, Niko Zissou, swept into the small area between the team's desks. "It's great to see you back, Dr. Reid," the younger man reported, a slight grin on his face. "I just wanted to let you know that it was an honor to help your friend Miss Garcia, and Kev, and that I'm pleased to meet you. Also, I hope to be able to help you and your team again someday."

"Don't worry about it, Niko," Garcia replied, racing into the bullpen. "I'm sure we'll need your services again real soon… How you hanging in there, Angelfish?" she cooed, embracing Reid in a tight hug that made him wince. "Oh… Sorry. I forgot." Garcia cried. "Those ribs are still gonna be a bit tender for a while yet, aren't they?" Reid nodded.

"And, in case you're wondering, Nathan and his mother are finally settled into his mother's sister's farm in Montana. Nathan's seeing a great doctor, and he just finished his final online class last week." Garcia reported, a smile on her face. "Looks like he turned out alright."

Reid smiled as he took a sip of his coffee, glancing around the bullpen, at the familiar hustle and bustle of daily life at the BAU. At that moment, JJ walked past them, waving a set of new case files at them.

"Conference room in five, guys?" she asked.

Reid grinned, downing another swig of coffee before following Morgan into the conference room.

Sure, he would love to forget the bad stuff that happened in the course of his job, but he realized that the job obviously had some good moments, too.

….

_All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. ~ William Shakespeare_

…_._

_**A/N: It's done! I'm glad that all of you stuck around for this story; I had a blast writing it, and I hope you had a blast reading it!**_

_**I'm gonna miss this story! :'(**_

_**Thanks to all my lovely readers, reviews, and everyone who favorite and alerted this story!**_

_**A HEEEEEEE-UGE Thanks to the amazing and awesome The-Vampire-Act for putting on the contest that gave this story a voice (and gave me a reason to start writing fiction again, before I ripped my hair out from creativity overload; you can only write so many college essays on English textbooks without some form of a creative writing outlet).Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear! :D :D **_

_**And an enormous thank you to the ever-talented, and lovable Matthew Gray Gubler, who tweeted the inspiration for this story one lazy late spring afternoon! :D**_

_**OMG, I love you all!**_

_**Until the next adventure,**_

_***~N_CBAU~***_


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